Apparatus and method for changing concomitantly conveyed bodies, in particular batteries, on a vehicle and a vehicle for this purpose

ABSTRACT

On a concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus ( 10 ) having a fitting station ( 12 ) and a removal station ( 14 ) for the purpose of fitting at least one first concomitantly conveyed body ( 32 ), preferably an energy store ( 32 ), particularly preferably a battery ( 32 ), to a vehicle ( 50 ), in particular an industrial truck ( 50 ), and, respectively, for the purpose of removing at least one second concomitantly conveyed body ( 38 ), which is different from the first concomitantly conveyed body ( 32 ), from the vehicle ( 50 ), the fitting station ( 12 ) feeds the first concomitantly conveyed body ( 32 ) to the vehicle ( 50 ) essentially in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V), and the second concomitantly conveyed body ( 38 ) can be removed from the vehicle ( 50 ) by being displaced in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V′) and fed to the removal station ( 14 ).

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for efficiently and rapidly changing concomitantly conveyed bodies on a vehicle and to a vehicle which is particularly suitable in interaction with the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to the invention.

Although the present invention will be explained below using the particularly preferred use example of an industrial truck as the vehicle and of energy stores for electrical energy, such as batteries and accumulators, as the concomitantly conveyed bodies, express reference will be made to the fact that the present invention can be implemented on any desired vehicle and using any desired concomitantly conveyed bodies. In this case, in particular, other energy stores, such as fuel tanks, in particular gas or liquid gas containers or petrol or diesel tanks, can be used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies. Any desired transportation containers for transporting goods can also be encompassed in the context of this application by the term “concomitantly conveyed body”.

Industrial trucks are generally known from the prior art whose drive is supplied with an energy carrier, such as fuel or current, by an energy store. If the energy store is empty, said energy store is generally replaced by a full energy store, since this replacement often takes less time than filling the empty energy store with an energy carrier. This applies in particular to stores of electrical energy, such as batteries or accumulators, since charging parameters which are defined here need to be maintained in order to protect the batteries against damage during charging.

Energy stores are often accommodated in trough-like recesses in the vehicle, from which an empty energy store needs to be removed and a full energy store provided. This changing procedure requires numerous movements which make the changing procedure tedious and laborious.

In contrast, it is the object of the present invention to specify a technical teaching with which, in general, a concomitantly conveyed body which is envisaged for replacement on the vehicle can be replaced in a short period of time by another concomitantly conveyed body.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus having a fitting station for the purpose of fitting at least one first concomitantly conveyed body, preferably an energy store, particularly preferably a battery, to a vehicle, in particular an industrial truck, and having a removal station for the purpose of removing at least one second concomitantly conveyed body, which is different from the first concomitantly conveyed body, from the vehicle, it being possible for the first concomitantly conveyed body to be fed to the vehicle from the fitting station essentially in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction, and it being possible for the second concomitantly conveyed body to be removed from the vehicle by being displaced in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction and for it to be fed to the removal station.

With the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to the invention it is possible to remove the second concomitantly conveyed body, which is still provided on the vehicle, from the vehicle by displacing it in the same direction in which the first concomitantly conveyed body is fed to the vehicle. Owing to this movement in the same direction for feeding the first concomitantly conveyed body to the vehicle and removing the second concomitantly conveyed body from the vehicle, these two movements can be carried out at the same time for a substantial section of the movement of the concomitantly conveyed bodies, which accelerates and simplifies the process for changing concomitantly conveyed bodies.

In principle, the fitting station and the removal station can be provided as desired, as long as their arrangement makes it possible to remove the second concomitantly conveyed body from the vehicle in the same concomitantly conveyed body loading direction in which the first concomitantly conveyed body is fed to the vehicle. It should preferably be possible for the fitting station and the removal station to be mounted on a floor area, for example on a floor area of a workshop, on which vehicles generally travel. This considerably reduces the amount of design complexity for the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus.

It is also advantageous in this case if the vehicle can be arranged between the fitting station and the removal station, i.e. if one station: fitting station and removal station is located on one side of the vehicle and the respective other station is located on another side of the vehicle which is opposite the first side of the vehicle when concomitantly conveyed bodies are changed. For this purpose, it is advantageous if the fitting station and the removal station are arranged at a spacing from one another which extends in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction and which is dimensioned such that the vehicle can be arranged between these stations. It is particularly simple to arrange the vehicle between the removal station and the fitting station when the vehicle can be driven in and driven out again between these stations.

In turn, the arrangement of the fitting station and the removal station can in principle be such that the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction is oriented in any desired manner with respect to the vehicle which can be arranged between the stations. Since, however, the longitudinal dimension of a vehicle is generally substantially longer than a dimension which is orthogonal with respect to this longitudinal dimension, the displacement path of the concomitantly conveyed bodies can be reduced in the event of a change if the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction extends essentially orthogonally with respect to a longitudinal axis of a vehicle which is provided or can be arranged between the fitting station and the removal station. It is particularly advantageous if the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction also extends essentially parallel to a vehicle standing area, i.e. essentially in the transverse direction of the vehicle, since it is then possible for the vehicle frame, the vehicle floor or the like to be used in a simple manner as the receiving part for the concomitantly conveyed body, on which vehicle frame, vehicle floor or the like the concomitantly conveyed body can be positioned in a simple manner.

The time taken to change a concomitantly conveyed body can be shortened further still if the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus also has a vehicle receiving station which is provided between the stations: fitting station and removal station and in which the vehicle can be arranged in a predetermined loading position.

It can be made possible to arrange the vehicle in the predetermined loading position in a simple manner in design terms by the vehicle receiving station having at least one stop means which is arranged such that the vehicle is located in the loading position if a vehicle section, which is designed to bear against the stop means, bears against the stop means.

The stop means may in this case be designed to bear against a vehicle body section, against a section of a lifting system, in particular of a lifting mast, or against a tyre section as a section of the vehicle. For example, the stop means may be formed by a simple ground beam which extends transversely with respect to the drive-in direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle receiving station may have driving grooves, which correspond to the track gauge of the vehicle and which extend in the drive-in direction of the vehicle, in order to establish an arrangement of the vehicle in the transverse direction of the vehicle with respect to the two stations. Finally, the stop means and a vehicle standing area of the vehicle receiving station may be displaceable in relation to one another in order to make it possible to adapt to different vehicle types, in particular vehicle geometries.

In order to be able to introduce a change of concomitantly conveyed bodies as quickly as possible, it is further advantageous if the vehicle receiving station and/or the stations: fitting station and removal station are provided such that they can be moved in at least one direction orthogonally with respect to the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction. This makes it possible to compensate for slight positional deviations, for example owing to different tyre sizes used, different degrees of tyre wear, an operationally dependent positional inaccuracy of the stop means and/or of the vehicle section with which said stop means is intended to engage. In this case, in particular owing to different tyre sizes used on different vehicles and their different degree of wear, it is advantageous if the vehicle receiving station and/or the stations: fitting station and removal station are designed such that their heights can be adjusted. In addition, the vehicle receiving station and/or the stations: fitting station and removal station may be displaceable in a third direction which is orthogonal with respect to the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction and with respect to the vertical direction.

Furthermore, it is conceivable for an energy supply to be provided on the vehicle receiving station and/or on at least one of the stations: fitting station and removal station, said energy supply making contact with a vehicle, which is driven in between the fitting station and the removal station, and supplying it with electrical energy such that the vehicle continues to be supplied with power even when the battery, in the form of a concomitantly conveyed body, has been removed.

Although it is conceivable for the concomitantly conveyed body to be displaced on the changing apparatus owing to a manual action of force, at least the fitting station preferably has a drive device which is designed to drive concomitantly conveyed bodies so as to move them in the loading direction. This makes possible unmanned operation at least on the part of the fitting station, in the process it being necessary to take into consideration the fact that the concomitantly conveyed bodies to be fitted to the vehicle are often heavier than the concomitantly conveyed bodies which are to be removed from the vehicle. This applies to batteries or other energy stores as well as to the conventional transportation containers which are often removed from the vehicle when they are empty and are fitted to the vehicle in the charged or filled state.

In addition or as an alternative, the work that is to be carried out on the part of the removal station when concomitantly conveyed bodies are changed can be simplified by the removal station having a conveying device which is designed to drive concomitantly conveyed bodies so as to move them in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction.

The design of the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus can be considerably simplified if the at least one first concomitantly conveyed body and the at least one second concomitantly conveyed body have essentially the same design, are preferably standardized. This not only results in the two stations: fitting station and removal station needing to be designed to displace only one type of concomitantly conveyed body, but also makes it easier to provide fitting and connection possibilities for the concomitantly conveyed body on the vehicle, if desired. This is significant when energy stores are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies since the energy stores need to be connected to the vehicle in order to be able to output energy to said vehicle.

In the case of a concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to the present invention, a concomitantly conveyed body is fed to the vehicle at the fitting station, whilst initially a concomitantly conveyed body which is provided on the vehicle is removed from said vehicle and fed to the removal station. Correspondingly, it may be logistically necessary, on the one hand, to feed concomitantly conveyed bodies to the fitting station and, on the other hand, to feed concomitantly conveyed bodies away from the removal station. One advantageous development of the present invention resolves this logistical problem by providing a transportation path between the fitting station and the removal station, said transportation path being designed to transport concomitantly conveyed bodies between the stations: fitting station and removal station, in particular from the removal station to the fitting station. The concomitantly conveyed bodies which have been removed from the vehicle at the removal station can thus be fed to the fitting station via the transportation path.

In accordance with an alternative development, each of the stations provided: fitting station and removal station may be designed both to fit a concomitantly conveyed body to a vehicle and to remove a concomitantly conveyed body from a vehicle. In this case, one of the stations can be used alternately as a fitting and removal station, and the respective other station can be used alternately as a removal and fitting station. This has the advantage that a concomitantly conveyed body is always present in one of the apparatuses and can be fed from this apparatus to the vehicle as well. Transportation of a concomitantly conveyed body from the removal station to the fitting station can then be dispensed with.

The concomitantly conveyed bodies generally have a storage property, whether it be an energy store or a transportation container. In this case, the decision to replace a concomitantly conveyed body provided on the vehicle with another one is often based on the state of charge of the storage property of the respective concomitantly conveyed body. Even in the case of energy stores, these energy stores are replaced if their state of storage charge is so low that it is soon to be expected that they can no longer provide any stored energy to the vehicle.

In order to be able to provide concomitantly conveyed bodies at the fitting station with a higher state of storage charge for the vehicle than the concomitantly conveyed bodies have which are removed from the vehicle at the removal station, the transportation path can advantageously be designed to charge or fill a concomitantly conveyed body, which is provided in the transportation path, in accordance with a storage property provided on it from a state of lower storage charge to a state of higher storage charge. As an alternative or in addition, at least one of the stations: fitting station and removal station can be designed to charge and/or fill concomitantly conveyed bodies.

As a function of the type of concomitantly conveyed bodies, a liquid filling apparatus for the purpose of filling concomitantly conveyed bodies with liquid can be provided, for example, on the transportation path and/or at at least one station. Liquid filling apparatuses which fill moved containers with a liquid when they are moved are known in the prior art. However, it is also possible for the concomitantly conveyed bodies to be transported on the transportation path to a liquid filling apparatus which is positioned between the removal station and the fitting station, to stop them there and possibly even to remove them from the transportation path and, after filling, to pass them back again to the transportation path or to transport them further on.

The liquid to be supplied may be a liquid fuel or else liquid gas when fuel tanks are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies or may be an electrolyte or demineralized water in the case of electrical energy stores.

The abovementioned design of the transportation path and/or the stations: fitting station and removal station for charging concomitantly conveyed bodies in accordance with their storage property can be realized by a charging apparatus for the purpose of charging concomitantly conveyed bodies being provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one of the abovementioned stations.

In the preferred case in which the concomitantly conveyed body is an energy store for storing electrical energy, the charging apparatus may comprise a sliding contact path for the purpose of making contact with concomitantly conveyed bodies which can move in the transportation path. As a result, charging of the concomitantly conveyed bodies with electrical energy during their movement in the transportation path is made possible.

Electrical energy stores are often filled with an electrolyte. In order to improve the capacity for storing electrical energy of the concomitantly conveyed bodies, provision may be made for an electrolyte circulating device to be provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one station.

In accordance with one development of the present invention, it may furthermore be conceivable for a concomitantly conveyed body washing apparatus for cleaning concomitantly conveyed bodies to be provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one station. It is furthermore conceivable for a concomitantly conveyed body emptying apparatus to be provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one of the stations: fitting station and removal station, preferably at the removal station, in order to empty a concomitantly conveyed body which has been removed from the vehicle and thus to bring it into a defined initial state. In this case, it is particularly conceivable for the battery or accumulator contents to be emptied when batteries or accumulators are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies.

When batteries or accumulators are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies, the abovementioned liquid filling apparatus may be a water filling apparatus which is designed to fill concomitantly conveyed bodies with water, in particular with demineralized water. This increases the storage capacity and the life of the concomitantly conveyed bodies which are used as batteries or accumulators.

With reference to the abovedescribed alternative embodiment of the present invention in which each of the stations: fitting station and removal station can both fit and remove a concomitantly conveyed body, it is particularly advantageous if each of the stations has a liquid filling apparatus, in particular a water filling station, and/or an electrolyte circulating device and/or a concomitantly conveyed body washing apparatus and/or a concomitantly conveyed body emptying station, for example in order to be able to empty the battery contents when batteries are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies. This development of the alternative embodiment of the present invention makes it possible for a concomitantly conveyed body, in particular a battery, to be replenished at each of the two stations after removal from a vehicle and to be made available again in order to be fitted to a vehicle.

The abovementioned object of the present invention is likewise achieved by a vehicle, in particular an industrial truck, having at least one concomitantly conveyed body which can be fitted to the vehicle in a carry-along position for the purpose of being carried along by said vehicle and can be removed from said vehicle out of the carry-along position, in the case of which vehicle the concomitantly conveyed body can be brought into the carry-along position on the vehicle in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction and can be removed from the vehicle in essentially the same concomitantly conveyed body loading direction. It is preferably, but not exclusively, possible for such a vehicle to be used together with the abovedescribed concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus.

The vehicle has the advantage of making it possible, owing to its design for displacing the concomitantly conveyed body to be fitted and the concomitantly conveyed body which is still fitted to the vehicle in the same concomitantly conveyed body loading direction, to remove a concomitantly conveyed body whilst simultaneously feeding another concomitantly conveyed body which results in efficient and rapid changing of the concomitantly conveyed bodies. As has already been mentioned above, a short displacement path for the concomitantly conveyed bodies is achieved during the change when the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction extends essentially parallel to the transverse direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, the concomitantly conveyed body can then easily be placed on the frame of the vehicle or on a vehicle floor.

In order to improve guidance of the concomitantly conveyed body when fitting it to the vehicle and when removing it from said vehicle, the vehicle may have a cutout into which a concomitantly conveyed body can be inserted on one side of the vehicle and out of which a concomitantly conveyed body can be removed from the vehicle on the other, opposite side of the vehicle. Owing to this cutout, the concomitantly conveyed body can be secured against displacement in at least one (preferably in all) physical direction which is orthogonal with respect to the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction.

The cutout preferably passes through the vehicle, the vehicle particularly preferably surrounding the cutout on four sides such that displacement of the concomitantly conveyed body is possible only in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction. As a result, additional erroneous operations when changing the concomitantly conveyed bodies are prevented.

In accordance with one development of the vehicle according to the invention, said vehicle may have a concomitantly conveyed body displacement apparatus which can independently drive the concomitantly conveyed body so as to move it in the loading direction. The concomitantly conveyed body displacement apparatus may be designed such that, for example if it has an extendable cross-arm, a concomitantly conveyed body which is ready at one of the stations can also be introduced into the vehicle independently of said vehicle. As a result, a concomitantly conveyed body change is also possible when the stations: fitting station and removal station are not themselves equipped with a concomitantly conveyed body drive.

If the concomitantly conveyed body is an electrical energy store, the vehicle, in accordance with a further advantageous development, may have electrical contacts, with which contact can be made from the outside, such that an electrical power supply can be connected to the vehicle for a short period of time and said vehicle can be supplied with electrical energy. In this case, the vehicle may itself carry out a battery change.

Undesired displacement of the concomitantly conveyed body in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction during normal vehicle operation can be prevented by the vehicle having a latching apparatus which holds the concomitantly conveyed body on the vehicle such that it is latched in a releasable manner. Given a suitable design for the latching apparatus, said latching apparatus may hold the concomitantly conveyed body on the vehicle in a latched manner such that displacement of the concomitantly conveyed body is not possible in any physical direction. Above all, this is advantageous when the abovementioned cutout, which passes through the vehicle and which is surrounded on four sides by the vehicle body, is not realized.

In order to make it possible for the concomitantly conveyed body changing procedure to take place without laborious releasing procedures for the latching apparatus, the latching apparatus may be designed such that it unlatches a latched concomitantly conveyed body, which is provided on the vehicle, when a further concomitantly conveyed body approaches in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction. This development of the invention makes it possible for a concomitantly conveyed body which is still provided on the vehicle to be removed from the vehicle with automatic unlatching by feeding another concomitantly conveyed body. In addition or as an alternative, in order to increase reliability on the one hand and in order to make it possible, on the other hand, to perform maintenance work irrespective of the location, a hand latching apparatus may be provided which can be actuated manually, preferably from the driver's seat.

In design terms, the automatic unlatching can be realized in a simple manner by the latching apparatus comprising a mechanical movement transmission apparatus which has a release section and a latching section, it being possible for the latching section to be moved between a latched position, which latches a concomitantly conveyed body on the vehicle, and a disengaged position which disengages the concomitantly conveyed body so as to move it in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction, and the release section being designed to be actuated by a concomitantly conveyed body travelling in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction and being coupled to the latching section such that said latching section is moved from the latched position to the disengaged position when the release section is actuated. Such mechanically controlled latching apparatuses are highly reliable.

In order to ensure that a concomitantly conveyed body is securely latched on the vehicle when the carry-along position is reached, the latching section is prestressed into the latched position. The latching section can in this case be designed such that it makes it possible for the concomitantly conveyed body to reach the carry-along position despite said latching section being prestressed into the latched position but prevents it from being further displaced owing to a latching engagement as soon as the carry-along position has been reached.

When energy stores are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies, for example for the purpose of storing liquid or gaseous fuels, it is generally necessary to manually separate or connect the concomitantly conveyed body to the vehicle prior to or after changing the concomitantly conveyed body. However, separation of a fuel store from loads, which can be carried out automatically, and a connection between said fuel store and loads on the vehicle, which can be produced automatically, are also conceivable, here. When batteries or accumulators are used as the concomitantly conveyed bodies, however, an energy-transmitting connection between the concomitantly conveyed body and the vehicle can be produced or separated very simply and automatically if the vehicle has a sliding contact arrangement for automatically making contact with electrical contacts on the concomitantly conveyed bodies.

The object mentioned initially on which the present invention is based is finally also achieved by a method for changing concomitantly conveyed bodies on a vehicle, in the case of which a feeding movement of a first concomitantly conveyed body to a carry-along position on the vehicle takes place at least partially at the same time as a removal movement of a second concomitantly conveyed body out of the carry-along position. This has already been explained in detail above.

As has likewise already been explained above, the at least partially simultaneous displacement of the first and the second concomitantly conveyed bodies is possible as a result of the fact that the first concomitantly conveyed body is fed to the vehicle in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction, and, in the process, displaces a second concomitantly conveyed body, which is already arranged on the vehicle in a carry-along position, in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction and, as a result, moves it away, out of the carry-along position.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a concomitantly conveyed body changing station according to the invention at an angle from the rear without a vehicle,

FIG. 2 shows the concomitantly conveyed body changing station shown in FIG. 1 at an angle from the front with a vehicle,

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the concomitantly conveyed body changing station shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 at an angle from the rear with a vehicle,

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the vehicle shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 at an angle from the rear with a concomitantly conveyed body,

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 4 without a concomitantly conveyed body,

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the concomitantly conveyed body changing station according to the invention at an angle from above without a vehicle,

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the concomitantly conveyed body changing station shown in FIG. 6 at an angle from above with a vehicle, and

FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the concomitantly conveyed body changing station with a vehicle shown in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to the invention is overall denoted 10. The changing apparatus 10 comprises a fitting station 12 and a removal station 14. A vehicle receiving station 16, into which a vehicle can be driven in the direction of the double arrow F and out of which said vehicle can be driven, is provided between the fitting station 12 and the removal station 14. Lateral limit strips 18 and 20 establish the lateral position of the vehicle in the vehicle receiving station 16. In addition, ground beams 22 a and 22 b are provided at the vehicle receiving station, and between them are arranged the wheels of the vehicle which are provided on a common axis such that they bear against the ground beams. The vehicle can thus be arranged using simple means in a defined position in the vehicle receiving station 16.

The fitting station 12 comprises a rack 24, which is positioned on a workshop floor in order to improve the adjustment of highly adjustable legs 26.

The fitting arrangement 12 has a piston/cylinder unit 28, whose piston 30 (indicated using dashed-dotted lines) can be moved parallel to the direction of the arrow V, i.e. in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V and counter to this direction. It is thus possible for the battery 32, as the concomitantly conveyed body, which is provided in the fitting station 12 to be displaced in the direction of the arrow V towards the vehicle receiving station 16. In order to make this displacement easier, rollers (not illustrated) are provided in the fitting station 12 and rotate about roller axes which are orthogonal with respect to the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V and are parallel with respect to the plane of the standing base of the fitting station. The removal station 14 is of essentially identical design to the fitting station 12. Since no battery 32 is arranged in the fitting station 12 in the illustration shown in FIG. 1, the rollers 33 can be seen here.

The fitting station 12 has a guide frame 34, as does the removal station 14. This guide frame 34 is arranged such that it surrounds a battery 32 which is arranged on the respective station. The guide frame 34 is fixedly connected to the rack 24. It serves the purpose of preventing the battery 32 from sliding off to the side when it is displaced in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V. This makes precise positioning of the battery 32 possible.

Furthermore, a receptacle 34 a can be formed in the guide frame 34 of the fitting station 12, contacts 36 being arranged in said receptacle 34 a which make contact with electrical contacts of the battery 32 when it is made available in the fitting station 12 and, as a result, make charging of the battery 32 possible. In addition, the guide frame 34, which is arranged at the fitting station such that it covers the electrical contacts of a battery 32 provided in the fitting station 12, serves the purpose of reducing the risk of unintentional short circuits in the battery 32.

Owing to the essentially identical design for the removal station 14 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the fitting station 12, each of the stations 12 and 14 may be used alternately as the fitting station and the removal station. It would thus be possible for a vehicle to be driven into the vehicle receiving station 16, whereupon the fitting station 12 pushes the battery 32 into the vehicle, at the same time the battery provided on the vehicle when the latter is driven in being pushed out into the removal station 14 in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V. Then, the battery which is now present at the station 14 is recharged by means of contacts (not illustrated) in the receptacle 34 b, whereupon a next but one vehicle, which is driven into the vehicle receiving station 16, receives a newly charged battery from the station 14, the battery provided in the vehicle being pushed out counter to the direction of the arrow V illustrated in FIG. 1 into the station 12 when the newly charged battery is inserted into the vehicle. Once this procedure is complete, the state illustrated in FIG. 1 is again present. However, in the case of the concomitantly conveyed body change just described, the station 14 in this case acts as the fitting station, and the station 12 as the removal station.

FIG. 2 illustrates the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of a concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus 10 having a vehicle 50 which has been driven into the vehicle receiving station 16. In contrast to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 is a view at an angle from the front.

It can be seen how the ground beams 22 a and 22 b fix the front tyres 52 a and 52 b of the schematically illustrated stacker 50 in the direction of the double arrow F and thus provide for an aligned arrangement of a cutout 54, which passes through the vehicle 50 in the transverse direction Q of the vehicle, with the battery 32 in the fitting station 12 in the loading direction V.

FIG. 3, which is a view of the changing station 10 shown in FIG. 2 at an angle from the rear, but from the side of the removal station 14, illustrates the changing procedure for concomitantly conveyed bodies.

As the piston/cylinder unit 28 pushes the battery 32 (which can no longer be seen in FIG. 3) in the loading direction V into the cutout 54 in the stacker 50, the battery 38 which is provided on the vehicle when the vehicle 50 is driven into the vehicle receiving station 16 is moved out of the vehicle 50 in the same loading direction V. The removal movement of the battery 38 from the vehicle 50 is further assisted by the piston 30 of the piston/cylinder unit 28 of the removal station 14, said piston being coupled to an engaging strip 40 of the battery 38 and likewise exerting a force on the battery 38 which acts in the loading direction V. In order to be able to use a station both as a fitting station 12 and as a removal station 14, dual-action piston/cylinder units 28 are preferably used. The batteries 32 and 38 have essentially the same physical design, for which reason engaging strips 40 can also be seen on the battery 32 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the vehicle 50 after the battery changing procedure shown in FIG. 3. It can be seen that the battery 32 is arranged in a cutout 54 which passes through the vehicle 50 in the transverse direction Q of the vehicle. If the vehicle 50 is located in the vehicle receiving station 16, the transverse direction Q of the vehicle is parallel to the loading direction V.

The battery 32 is placed on a floor 56 of the vehicle in a very simple manner, said floor taking the weight of the battery 32. The vehicle body 58 surrounds the cutout 54, apart from the base 56, on three sides, that is to say at the front, at the top and at the rear, such that the battery 32 cannot move in these directions in relation to the vehicle 50. Only a movement in the transverse direction of the vehicle is possible, but this movement is fixed in the vehicle 50, in the operating state shown in FIG. 3, by a latching apparatus (not illustrated) owing to an interlocking connection with a latching section in the carry-along position shown in FIG. 4. As an alternative or in addition, a force-fitting or frictional connection between the latching section and the concomitantly conveyed body is conceivable.

FIG. 5 shows a view of the vehicle 50 from the side. The vehicle 50 is illustrated without a battery.

It can be seen that latching sections 60 protrude from the vehicle floor 56 with spring prestress in their latched position in which they engage in a recess in a battery in the carry-along position. The latching apparatus or sections of it do not need to be provided on the floor 56 of the vehicle 50, however, but can be arranged, at the discretion of those skilled in the art, in any desired regions of the cutout 54.

Furthermore, a release section 62 is shown, which is provided close to the edge of the cutout 54, pivots about an axis, which extends in the longitudinal direction L of the vehicle, when a battery is inserted into the cutout 54 parallel to the transverse direction Q of the vehicle of the battery being inserted and is coupled to the latching sections 60 for movement transmission purposes such that pivoting of the release section 62 causes the latching sections 60 to be drawn back out of the latched position into a disengaged position such that a battery, which is arranged on the vehicle, can be moved parallel to the transverse direction of the vehicle.

FIGS. 6 to 8 illustrate a second embodiment of the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to the invention. Identical components of the second embodiment are provided with the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, but increased by the number 100. In order to explain these components in more detail, express reference is made to the description of the first embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 5. Reference is also made to the fact that the changing apparatus 110 is illustrated merely schematically in FIGS. 6 to 8.

The concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus 110 illustrated in FIG. 6 feeds, from the fitting station 112, a completely charged battery 132 to a vehicle (not illustrated in FIG. 6) in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V′. The concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V′ of the second embodiment is opposite to the loading direction V of the first embodiment. When a newly charged battery 132 is pushed into a vehicle, at the same time the battery which is provided on the vehicle at the point in time at which the vehicle is driven into the changing station 110 is pushed into the removal station 114. In order to assist this movement of a battery into the removal station 114, a piston/cylinder unit 128 may likewise be provided at the removal station 114, as is indicated by the dashed illustration of a piston 130.

In FIG. 6, the fitting station 112 is connected to the removal station 114 via a transportation path 170. The transportation path 170 has conveying means, such as driven conveyor rollers, by means of which batteries are transported from the removal station 114 to the fitting station 112 in the anti-clockwise direction. Furthermore, the transportation path 170 comprises a charging apparatus 172 which is connected to a voltage source 174. The charging apparatus 172 has sliding contacts (not illustrated) which make contact with electrical contacts 135 of the batteries 132, 137 etc. along the entire transportation path of the batteries from the removal station 114 to the fitting station 112. Over the entire transportation path, the batteries are electrically charged by means of the charging apparatus 172 via the sliding contact thus produced.

The movement of the batteries from the removal station 114 to the fitting station 112 may take place continuously or in clocked fashion.

Furthermore, a water filling apparatus 176 and an electrolyte circulating apparatus 178 may be provided on the transportation path 170. In the case of clocked operation, a battery 139, which rests in front of these apparatuses 176 and 178, can be filled with demineralized water (to be precise by the water filling apparatus 176), and its electrolyte can be circulated (to be precise by the electrolyte circulating apparatus 178). Those skilled in the art will recognize the fact that water filling apparatuses and electrolyte circulating apparatuses may also be used with which demineralized water can be supplied and electrolyte can be circulated whilst the battery continues to move.

FIG. 7 shows the concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6 from a similar perspective, having a vehicle 150 arranged therein. FIG. 8 shows, in order to illustrate it better, a plan view of the changing apparatus 110, a consumed battery 138 being replaced by a new battery 132 by being displaced in each case in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction V′ in FIG. 8. As a result of the fact that the consumed battery 138 is pushed out of the vehicle 150 by the new battery 132, the fitting procedure of a new battery is made parallel with the removal procedure of a consumed battery, which leads to a severe reduction in the amount of time required and, associated with this, a reduction in the downtime of the vehicle. 

1. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus having a fitting station for the purpose of fitting at least one first concomitantly conveyed body, preferably an energy store, particularly preferably a battery, to a vehicle, in particular an industrial truck, and a removal station for the purpose of removing at least one second concomitantly conveyed body, which is different from the first concomitantly conveyed body, from the vehicle, it being possible for a first concomitantly conveyed body to be fed to the vehicle from the fitting station essentially in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′), and it being possible for the second concomitantly conveyed body to be removed from the vehicle by being displaced in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′) and for it to be fed to the removal station.
 2. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fitting station and the removal station are arranged at a spacing from one another which extends in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′) and which is dimensioned such that the vehicle can be arranged, preferably driven in and driven out, between the fitting station and removal station.
 3. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′) extends essentially orthogonally with respect to a longitudinal axis (L) of a vehicle, which is provided between the fitting station and the removal station, and preferably also extends essentially parallel to a vehicle standing area.
 4. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus also has a vehicle receiving station which is provided between the fitting station and removal station and in which the vehicle can be arranged in a predetermined loading position.
 5. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle receiving station has at least one stop means which is arranged such that the vehicle is located in the loading position if a vehicle section, which is designed to bear against the stop means, bears against the stop means.
 6. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fitting station has a drive device which is designed to drive concomitantly conveyed bodies so as to move them in the loading direction (V; V′).
 7. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the removal station has a conveying device which is designed to drive concomitantly conveyed bodies so as to move them in the loading direction (V).
 8. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first concomitantly conveyed body and the at least one second concomitantly conveyed body have essentially the same design, and are preferably standardized.
 9. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a transportation path is provided between the fitting station and the removal station and is designed to transport concomitantly conveyed bodies between the fitting station and removal station, in particular from the removal station to the fitting station.
 10. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transportation path and/or at least one of the station is designed to charge or fill a concomitantly conveyed body in accordance with a storage property provided on it from a state of lower storage charge to a state of higher storage charge.
 11. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid filling apparatus for the purpose of filling concomitantly conveyed bodies with liquid is provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one of the fitting station and removal station.
 12. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a charging apparatus for the purpose of charging concomitantly conveyed bodies is provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one of the fitting station and removal station.
 13. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concomitantly conveyed body is an energy store.
 14. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the energy store is designed to store electrical energy.
 15. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the charging apparatus comprises sliding contacts, preferably a sliding contact path, for the purpose of making electrical contact with concomitantly conveyed bodies.
 16. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein an electrolyte circulating device is provided on the transportation path and/or at at least one of the fitting station and removal station.
 17. Concomitantly conveyed body changing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the liquid filling apparatus is a water filling apparatus which is designed to fill concomitantly conveyed bodies with water.
 18. Vehicle, in particular an industrial truck, having at least one concomitantly conveyed body, which can be fitted to the vehicle in a carry-along position for the purpose of being carried along by said vehicle and can be removed from said vehicle out of the carry-along position, wherein the concomitantly conveyed body can be brought into the carry-along position on the vehicle in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V, V′) and can be removed from the vehicle in essentially the same concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′).
 19. Vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′) extends essentially parallel to the transverse direction (Q) of the vehicle.
 20. Vehicle according to claim 18, having a cutout into which a concomitantly conveyed body can be inserted on one side of the vehicle and out of which a concomitantly conveyed body can be removed from the vehicle on the other side of the vehicle.
 21. Vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the cutout passes through the vehicle, preferably in the transverse direction (Q) of the vehicle.
 22. Vehicle according to claim 18, having a latching apparatus which holds the concomitantly conveyed body on the vehicle such that it is latched in a releasable manner.
 23. Vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the latching apparatus is designed such that it unlatches a latched concomitantly conveyed body, which is provided on the vehicle, when a further concomitantly conveyed body approaches in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V).
 24. Vehicle according to claim 23, wherein the latching apparatus comprises a mechanical movement transmission apparatus which has a release section and a latching section, it being possible for the latching section to be moved between a latched position, which latches a concomitantly conveyed body on the vehicle, and a disengaged position which disengages the concomitantly conveyed body so as to move it in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V), and the release section being designed to be actuated by a concomitantly conveyed body travelling in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V) and being coupled to the latching section such that said latching section is moved from the latched position to the disengaged position when the release section is actuated.
 25. Vehicle according to claim 24, wherein the latching section is prestressed into the latched position.
 26. Vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the concomitantly conveyed body is a store for electrical energy, and the vehicle has a sliding contact arrangement for automatically making contact with the energy store.
 27. Method for changing concomitantly conveyed bodies on a vehicle, in the case of which a feeding movement of a first concomitantly conveyed body to a carry-along position on the vehicle takes place at least partially at the same time as a removal movement of a second concomitantly conveyed body out of the carry-along position.
 28. Method according to claim 27, wherein the first concomitantly conveyed body is fed to the vehicle in a concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′) and, in the process, displaces a second concomitantly conveyed body, which is already arranged on the vehicle in a carry-along position, in the concomitantly conveyed body loading direction (V; V′) and, as a result, moves it away, out of the carry-along position. 